It all started with a joke, a simple comment that I thought would be taken lightly. But little did I know, that one sentence would unravel my life and lead to the loss of my husband to our neighbor.

We had been living in the apartment for three years, and during that time, I had never really connected with anyone in the building. Most of our neighbors were either renters or busy professionals, so there was little opportunity for bonding. The few times we would interact, it was always brief and distant. But then, a group of young women moved into the apartment next door.

At first glance, they seemed like the type of neighbors I would get along with. They were lively, cheerful, and very friendly. We had some pleasant chats in the elevator and exchanged a few words whenever we bumped into each other. As time passed, they would occasionally come over to my place to visit, bringing little gifts for my child. There were a couple of students and some recent graduates, so we shared many discussions about life, school, and work. We quickly became friendly, and soon, we began to talk about our families.

One day, I found out that none of the young women had boyfriends, and they all jokingly complained about being single. I playfully offered to introduce them to some of the men I knew, but they laughed it off. One of them even said, “We’ve been looking for so long, but no one seems to be interested in us. We’re just waiting for someone to marry us, but who would want us when we’re still figuring out our careers?”

They would often compliment my husband, saying how handsome he was and how well-spoken he seemed. When they found out he was a director, their admiration grew even more. “I wish I could find a boyfriend like your husband,” one of them said. Without thinking, I joked, “Well, why don’t you just date my husband and see for yourself?”

It was a comment made in jest, but I had no idea it would come back to haunt me. Over three months later, I discovered that my husband was secretly involved with one of these neighbors, and the shocking revelation came from my own 4-year-old daughter.

One weekend, I went to visit my parents, leaving my husband to take care of our daughter. The next day, when I returned home, my daughter excitedly told me that her father had taken her out for a fun day with “Aunt Hằng” (the neighbor). She even mentioned that she had seen her father holding hands with her. “They were holding hands, Mommy,” she said innocently. My heart sank.

A chill ran down my spine when I realized that “Aunt Hằng” was the same person I had jokingly told to date my husband. Could it be true? Had she really fallen for him?

I confided in a close friend, and she immediately confirmed my suspicions. She suggested that I keep an eye on my husband and set up a hidden camera to see what was really going on. I secretly installed a camera in our home, hoping to gather evidence without my husband knowing.

A week later, I lied about going to my parents’ house because my mother was ill, and my husband didn’t object. He said he would look after our daughter. While I sat at a café, watching the camera footage, I saw the shocking truth: Hằng was frequently coming in and out of our apartment. What terrified me even more was that she had the key to our home.

I watched in disbelief as they behaved intimately in our house, with no care for the fact that I had captured it all on video. Hằng was young, beautiful, and full of life. It was no surprise that a man would be attracted to her, but what shocked me was how easily my husband, who always praised his loyalty to me, had fallen into her arms.

I came to a painful realization: there was no such thing as a purely platonic relationship between a married man and a young, single woman. The truth was, my husband was a successful, wealthy man with a position of power, and why wouldn’t someone like Hằng want to be with him?

When I confronted him, he admitted that he had fallen for her and even demanded a divorce. I was in shock. I had never imagined that he would leave me for someone else so quickly. Men may cheat, but they rarely walk away from their families. Yet here he was, ready to abandon everything for her.

Despite everything, I wasn’t ready to give up. I still held onto the hope that we could work through this, but I couldn’t help but feel that the joke I made months ago had come true in the most painful way possible.